...their blooms (being weak-necked and weather-damaged) were not ideal for rose shows which became popular in the 19th century, or for cutting.

Catherine Mermet (Tea, Guillot fils, 1869) at the Heritage

At the time, hybrid perpetuals were the rose of choice for that purpose. They had the necessary stiff canes but lacked the refined high center of teas.

'Spiny HP' (Hybrid Perpetual, found) at the Heritage

They also came in "classic" colors of pink, purple and white, lacking the subtle apricots and creamy yellows of teas.

Géant des Batailles (Hybrid Perpetual, Nérard, 1845) at the Heritage

The obvious solution was to cross these two classes, which resulted in the creation of a hybrid tea. Hybrid Teas are florist roses, and it is these roses that you buy in bouquets. They were bred for long cutting stems, and were not originally meant to be grown as a landscape shrub. It is their tendency to create these long stems that gave them their unkind description of "lollipops on sticks", or "soldiers on parade".

April in Paris (Hybrid Tea, Zary, 2007) in my garden

Because of their popularity with rosarians and gardeners, hybrid teas were more and more extensively hybridized, resulting in plants that resembled less and less the antique teas.

After saying all this, I don't mean to create an impression that I don't like hyrbid teas. I do, and grow quite a few.

Comtesse de Provence (Hybrid Tea, Meilland, 2001) in my garden

These roses can have a place in the garden too. They are very good for cutting, and lots of them are really fragrant too. Their sparse awkward growth habit is a great excuse to grow some perennials or herbs at their base, and if you have a narrow planting bed, nothing will work better.

Finally, nothing is quite as clear-cut as I have said so far :). Hybrid Teas are modern roses with quite a distinct set of genes from the original teas, but sometimes they do resemble each other. Many hybrid teas come in pastel colors, and quite a few have heavy petalled blooms that manage to bend down even their sturdy long stems :).

Golden Oldie (Hybrid Tea, Davidson, unknown) at the Heritage

Well grown, hybrid teas do not have to sport naked legs, and stiffly upright blooms all at the top.

High Noon (Hybrid Tea, climbing, Lammerts, 1946) at the Heritage

On the other hand, some tea rose blooms can hardly be described as softly colored:)

Masha, great education. Have you ever been called masha potato? lol. I'm curious. Where did Meiiland roses originate? I have planted some of their varieties when I was a landscape contractor, most of them were shrub roses.

Great post and presentation on the differences between 'old' teas and hybrid teas. As always, it boils down to putting the right rose in the right place - and personal preference, of course. Beautiful shots. Makes me want them all!

Masha, great post about the differences between Hybrid Tea and Tea roses. Thank you! Your photos are exquisite as usual! Seeing your pictures of the Tea roses I feel you simply have to fall in love with them and I hope your readers will :-)! My favorites Teas from this post are 'Mrs. Dudley Cross', 'Alexander Hill Gray', and 'Rubens', three roses that I don't grow, yet. When my "rose buying ban" is ever lifted again I definitely will consider to acquire at least one of them.Christina

Meilland? the rose we now call Peace, began life as Madame Meilland. I have Madame and Papa in my rose garden. But not enough space for the heritage roses. There are some growing at the Klein Optenhorst garden, and Elgin gardens are full of roses.

What an excellent tutorial!!! You are definitely an expert! I love all roses but the very stiff florist roses are my least favorite. I like roses that are more natural and flop a bit. Your photos are phenomenal!! I used to live in CA and miss the weather. I love the Santa Cruz mountains. :o)

Thank you, Julie, for your comment and question. The book I like the most is Brent Dickerson's Old Rose Advisor series, closely followed by Vintage Garden's Book of Roses. Tea Roses: Old Roses for Warm Gardens is another great book for those living in warm climates...

Elephant's Eye, thank you and all Peace roses have a lot of admirers. I like Flaming Peace best, but unfortunately, I, like you, don't have much more planting room:)

Thank you, Casa Mariposa, I am glad you liked it. I had fun writing this post.

Masha, thank you so much for your excellent presentation and descriptions. As always your photos are exquisite. I was also just enjoying your previous post about hiking around in your area and again you shared your beautiful photos and descriptions with us. It is always a pleasure to come visit with you.

Masha: Your gardens must be absolutely magical with all those Roses. Thanks for the great info. I have one tea that was first grafted by my great-grandfather in Minnesota. We call it the "Grandpa Buffham Rose." The scent is unbelievable. The rest of my Roses are hybrids. There's just something about Roses...

Dear Masha,What's in a name Masha, is it to have or not to have???? That's the question !!!!!!, but Masha, I have this week bought two climbing roses (climbing iceberg). This is a white climbing rose with strong fragrance.If they will flower this summer? then I make pictures of it for you.I think if I have learned my lesson well, that it is a hybrid. Have I understood correctly?I wish you and your family a very happy Easter.Dear greetings, Elly

Great examples! Although I like some of the Hybrid Teas, I have never understood their overwhelming popularity. I love the romantic qualities of tea rose blossoms, which you've captured beautifully in your photos.

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About Me

I garden on a small lot in suburban San Jose (California). I grew up in Russia and sub-tropical gardening still amazes me. I collect roses and take pictures as a hobby. If you would like an unmarked copy of an image, please ask.